Gurbrinder Aulakh
The world is in shock and disbelief following the barbaric and dastardly terror attack in a country which has always been considered a Paradise of peace and serenity.
Messages of support for the victims and condemnation of the cowardly act are being received from around the globe.
The Nation is in grief, and we all stand in solidarity with the Muslim community, as we convey our messages of condolences with bleeding hearts.
Unknown masterminds
The way the wider community, and all the leaders have rallied around for support is the real New Zealand for which we all stand.
Newspaper reports tell us that help and donations have been pouring in from all quarters, but it will take a long time, specially for the families directly affected, to come to terms with their loss and grief.
Although it may be too early to guess, as the investigation is underway, the initial reports of three arrests having been made, suggest that it may not be the work of a lone wolf, but may have been a planned organised crime.
It may be too early and naïve to consider this lunatic to be the only real culprit, as this deluded extremist could have played into the hidden hands of some unknown evil masterminds.
Sinister Motive
I say so because the community, the time, and the place of worship, chosen to carry out a live-streaming, cold-blooded heinous crime, suggests that it has been done with a sinister motive. The motive to incite racial tension and retaliation, not only from within the country but, from the fanatic ideologists across the world. It is corroborated with the fact that this person is not ordinarily domiciled in New Zealand.
Usually, a person having grudge and hatred against a particular race or religion vents such hatred within his own country and vicinity; whereas, this person took pains to choose New Zealand, is mind boggling and hard to digest.
Although it may be irresponsible to point a finger at any one else in particular, as yet, but history tells us that many States in the past have in line with their policies and hidden agendas, gone in and created disturbances in various parts of the world, and then funded, and nurtured the splinter groups.
Who stands to gain?
The deep question to be pondered here is that who stands to gain by this act of terror?
While we grapple to find the answers and the truth, the immediate repercussion will be millions, if not billions of dollars, that will now be spent on the unproductive task of acquiring latest surveillance and security intelligence, propping up the number of security staff, obtaining specialised training and technology, tightening our borders, being vigilant from infiltrations, stepping up and expanding the internal watch on radicalisation; and the list goes on.
This will weaken and cripple our country for years to come, as these vital funds, and vast amount of money, would otherwise have been spent to address the more pressing social nemesis of our housing, health and education sectors.
Long-term impact
The collateral effect of this incident will be the encroachment of freedom and a lethal blow to the privacy rights.
At this crucial juncture, it is very important that we stay calm and united as a nation.
There may be further attempts to incite racial disharmony, through hate speeches and flared up emotions, but we must continue to stand for our core human values of peace and brotherhood.
Giving into these venomous attempts, or reacting in any untoward manner, would be the victory of the sinister designs of the evil enemy, that wants to divide and destroy our paradise.
Gurbrinder Aulakh is a practicing lawyer at Auckland and former Chair, Deputy Chair and Advisor to organisations working with refugees and migrants.
